


What Happened to Prince Frederick

by Applsd



Series: Storybird [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Abandonment, Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Applsd, Coincidences, Dungeons, F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship, Gen, Kings & Queens, Love, Non-Graphic Violence, Past Character Death, Past Tense, Past Violence, Princes & Princesses, Self-Esteem Issues, Strange Servants
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:27:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28003890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Applsd/pseuds/Applsd
Summary: That is not a question. I am fully prepared totellyou what happened to Prince Frederick. And one of these days, I will finish writing it down, so that you can see how it all ends happily for everyone, despite--everything.
Series: Storybird [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2050956





	1. Princess Isabella

**Author's Note:**

> An earlier version of this work was posted Oct 4, 2018 on Storybird. It's the longest thing I've written there and one of the oldest. (The earliest draft was posted in 2016.)  
> I'm very proud of WHtPF but also confused. One of these days, I will write an outline!

Once upon my imagination, in a totally fictional kingdom which I feel inclined to call Noniland, there was a castle. In that castle lived King Edmund. He was famous for many things. For example: Being the king; having a quick temper; his generosity; his charismatic wife, Queen Rossana; etc.

Even though he had a son, King Edmund was praised most for his daughter, a dainty princess of fifteen. 87% of the king’s subjects agreed that she was the most beautiful girl they had seen in their lives. (The other thirteen percent were thrown in the dungeon.)

Princess Isabella didn’t let this go to her head. “That’s nice, I suppose,” she said when the results of the poll were made known to her. “But I’d rather be the smartest.”

So she studied botany, chemistry, calculus, kingdom history, and foreign languages. In addition, she tried to learn ten new words every week.

Not long after Princess Bella won the kingdom-wide spelling bee, a new poll revealed that 91% of the population considered her to be the smartest girl in the kingdom. (The other nine percent? They were promptly escorted to the dungeon.)

“I must provide grateful acknowledgements, loyal subjects,” said the princess in her acceptance speech, after being voted the fairest and brainiest of all. “But let us reminisce that life isn’t merely about being well-informed or having proportionate superficial features. More imperative than these is a philanthropic heart, filled with love for God and humanity.”

Well, of course, Princess Overachiever took her own words to heart and strived to be more benevolent and caring.

She smiled at strangers, volunteered at her local soup kitchen, and had her father release all non-violent offenders from the dungeon (including the 22% who had voted against her in the polls). Soon after, there was soon after a _new_ poll: “Do you say Princess Isabella is the kindest maiden in the land?”

98.5% of Noniland said yes. King Edmund wanted to throw the other one and five-tenths percent in the dungeon, but his kind daughter put a stop to that.


	2. Prince Frederick

“I can’t wait to meet her,” sighed Prince Frederick.

Prince Frederick was a prince from the next-door-neighboring kingdom of Appleseedia. It was only about half as big as Noniland, but still powerful. King Edmund was the king there.

Yes, Appleseedia's king is also named Edmund.

Because of this singular occurrence, King Edmund of Noniland and King Edmund of Appleseedia had decided, years ago, that they should be close friends and allies. They had more recently decided to force Prince Frederick and Princess Isabella to get married once the princess was sixteen.

Prince Frederick was determined to be happy about it. Though he'd never met Princess Isabella, he'd heard glowing reports (much like the previous chapter) of her.

On the morning when the prince sighed and said, “I can’t wait to meet her,” he was riding in a grand carriage, on his way to Noniland.

“Well,” said his faithful servant named Robert. “I am afraid you shall _have_ to wait, Your Highness. There is still a thirty minute ride.”

I will mention that faithful Robert is a bit younger than the prince, who is twenty-one. I mention it because anyone judging by Robert's speech alone might've pictured Batman’s butler, who must be older than sixty, in medieval clothes.

“It’s an expression, Robert,” said the exasperated prince, “Why are you always so literal?”

“I must confess that I do not know, Your Highness...” mused Robert, answering the hypothetic question. “But perhaps it is the way I was raised...”

The prince stared at him and sighed again. 

“Robert?”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“Make a note for me.”

Robert promptly whipped out a blank paper, a writing quill, and a bottle of ink.

Prince Frederick nodded his approval and didn't question where they had come from. “Okay. Write, ‘Fire Robert. Hire new servant who doesn’t exasperate me so much and who uses contractions!’”

Robert wrote it down with the usual blank expression on his face.

Prince Frederick banged his head on the carriage door. If robots had been invented, Robert would fit right in with them. It drove the prince crazy. But he could never fire Robert. The polls said he was _the best servant to ever set foot on solid ground_ (word for word).

“I’ll bet Princess Isabella isn’t a stiff like you! She probably smiles _and_ laughs!”

“There is a good chance of it, Your Highness,” said Robert.


End file.
